Dr. Nishan de Mel is the Founder, Executive Director and Head of Research of Verité Research — Sri Lanka’s largest independent think tank, spanning Economics (Macro, Public Finance, International Economics, and Socio-Economics), Law and Governance, Anti-Corruption, and Media and Politics.

Rooted in Sri Lanka yet distinctly international in reach, Verité Research engages with governments, multilateral institutions, and policy communities worldwide, producing rigorous analysis directed towards meaningful influence on policy, public engagement, and capacity building.

Dr. de Mel read Economics at Harvard University before going on to complete both his Master’s and doctoral degrees in Economics at the University of Oxford, where he was a Chevening Scholar. He subsequently served as a Lecturer in Economics at Oxford, contributing to one of the world’s leading centres for economic thought.

Over the course of his career, Dr. de Mel has held a range of prominent advisory and governance roles at the national level. These include membership on the Presidential Task Force on Health Sector Reform, the Presidential Committee on Tobacco, Alcohol and Dangerous Drug Regulation, and the National Steering Committee on Social Security.

He has also served as Executive Director of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies and as a Board Member of the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute.